Construction system with linkable elements and method therefor

ABSTRACT

An interconnectable construction element has a body section, a first socket coupled to a first end of the body section, and a magnetic ball. The first socket has a recess in communication with an opening. The opening extends from a first lateral side of the first socket at least to a distal end thereof. The magnetic ball is individually rotatably receivable into the recess of the first socket for forming a magnetic connection with another interconnectable construction element having another magnetic ball.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/979,016 filed on Feb. 20, 2020, thecontent of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This present disclosure relates generally to a construction system andmethod, and particularly to a construction system and method employing aplurality of individual construction elements that may be fittedtogether by way of magnetic and non-magnetic ball-and-socket joints.

BACKGROUND

Construction systems using small parts or elements such as constructionsystems for toys are known. Such construction systems often compriseelements with interconnectable or interlockable male and femaleconnectors (e.g., interconnectable or interlockable connection-head andsocket) for connecting the elements together.

The prior-art construction systems may be used for connecting parts ofvarious shapes using head-to-socket connections and/or socket-to-socketconnections. However, such construction systems generally have a numberof limitations such as:

(i) one connector may only be interconnectable with the other connectorof the same interconnectable connector pairs,

(ii) ways for limiting the ranges of rotation of the head-to-socketconnections may be lacking.

SUMMARY

Consequently, a need exists for a construction system that overcomes thelimitations of prior systems, is easy to assemble and is inexpensive tomanufacture.

According to some aspects of this disclosure, there is provided aconstruction element comprising: at least a socket having a recess incommunication with an opening, the opening extending from a firstlateral side of the socket at least to a distal end thereof; and amagnetic ball rotatably receivable into the recess.

In some embodiments, the magnetic ball is made of neodymium-iron-boron.

According to some aspects of this disclosure, there is provided a firstconstruction element for removably coupling to a second constructionelement for limiting the range of rotation thereof, the secondconstruction element comprising an expansion and a socket spaced fromeach other, the socket comprising an opening extending from a firstlateral side at least to a distal end thereof. The first constructionelement comprises: an engagement structure having a recess for engagingthe expansion of the second construction element; and a tail sectionextending from the socket, said tail section having a length such that,when the first construction element is coupled to the secondconstruction element with the recess of the first construction elementengaging the expansion of the second construction element, the tailsection extends to the first lateral side of the opening of the secondconstruction element.

According to some aspects of this disclosure, there is provided aninterconnectable construction element comprising: a body section; afirst socket coupled to a first end of the body section, the firstsocket comprising a recess in communication with an opening, the openingextending from a first lateral side of the first socket at least to adistal end thereof; and a magnetic ball releasably receivable into therecess of the first socket without falling out therefrom for forming amagnetic connection with another interconnectable construction elementhaving another magnetic ball, a magnetic anchor, and/or a ferromagneticanchor.

In some embodiments, the magnetic ball is individually rotatablyreceivable in the first socket.

In some embodiments, the magnetic ball comprises a material ofneodymium-iron-boron.

In some embodiments, the interconnectable construction element comprisesa second socket coupled to a second end of the body section.

In some embodiments, the body section comprises an expansion spaced fromthe first socket, the expansion having a maximum diameter greater thanthat of the body section.

In some embodiments, the expansion has a spherical shape.

In some embodiments, the expansion is located at a position intermediatethe first and second sockets.

In some embodiments, the expansion is receivable into the recess ofanother interconnectable construction element.

In some embodiments, the magnetic connection is formed by automaticrotation and alignment of the one or more magnetic balls.

In some embodiments, the interconnectable construction element comprisesan injection-molded thermoplastic material, metal, carved wood,composite materials, or a combination thereof.

According to some aspects of this disclosure, there is provided arotation-limiting element for removably coupling to a firstinterconnectable construction element for limiting the range of rotationthereof when the first interconnectable construction element isconnected to a second interconnectable construction element, the firstinterconnectable construction element comprising a body section and asocket coupled to the body section, the socket comprising a recess incommunication with an opening for rotatably receiving a connectionportion of the second interconnectable construction element, the openingextending from a first lateral side of the recess at least to a distalend thereof; the rotation-limiting element comprises: an engagementstructure for engaging an engagement section of the firstinterconnectable construction element for removably coupling therotation-limiting element to the first interconnectable constructionelement; and a first tail section extending from the engagementstructure, said first tail section having a length such that, when therotation-limiting element is coupled to the first interconnectableconstruction element, the first tail section extends to a position aboutthe opening of the first interconnectable construction element.

In some embodiments, the engagement structure comprises a recess forengaging an expansion structure on the body section of the firstinterconnectable construction element, the expansion structure having amaximum diameter greater than that of the body section and acting as theengagement structure of the first interconnectable construction element.

In some embodiments, the rotation-limiting element comprises aninjection-molded thermoplastic material, metal, carved wood, compositematerials, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the first tail section comprises a sphericalsecondary recess about a distal end thereof and one side facing theopening of the first interconnectable construction element when therotation-limiting element is coupled to the first interconnectableconstruction element.

In some embodiments, the rotation-limiting element is for coupling to ahead-to-socket connection.

In some embodiments, the recess of the engagement structure is aspherical recess.

In some embodiments, the rotation-limiting element further comprises asecond tail section extending from the engagement structure on a sidethereof longitudinally opposite to the first tail section.

According to some aspects of this disclosure, there is provided aconstruction system comprising: a plurality of above-describedinterconnectable construction elements.

In some embodiments, the construction system further comprises: one ormore above-described interconnectable rotation-limiting elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a construction element, according toone embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a side view of the construction element shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a front view of the construction element shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a construction element according toanother embodiment of this disclosure, the construction element beingsimilar to that shown in FIG. 1A and further comprising a magnetic ball;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a construction element according to yetanother embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a rear view of the construction element shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a front view of the construction element shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a side view of the construction element shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E is a plan view of the construction element shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a construction element according tostill another embodiment of this disclosure, the construction elementbeing similar to that shown in FIG. 3A and further comprising a magneticball;

FIGS. 5 to 15 are plan views of a construction element in variousembodiments;

FIGS. 16A to 16C show the coupling of two construction elements with ahead-to-socket connection, according to one embodiment of thisdisclosure;

FIGS. 17A to 17C show the coupling of two construction elements with asocket-to-socket connection, according to another embodiment of thisdisclosure;

FIGS. 18A and 18B show the coupling of two construction elements with asocket-to-socket connection and a ball received in the engaged sockets,according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

FIGS. 19A to 19C show the engagement of two construction elements,according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

FIGS. 20 and 21 show the attachment of an assembled apparatus to ananchoring structure, according to different embodiments of thisdisclosure;

FIGS. 22A and 22B show the coupling of two construction elements,according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 23 shows a bracelet assembly built from a plurality of plasticconstruction elements;

FIG. 24A is a perspective view of a rotation-limiting element, accordingto one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 24B is a front view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.24A;

FIG. 24C is a rear view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.24A;

FIG. 24D is a side view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.24A;

FIG. 24E is a plan view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.24A;

FIG. 24F is a bottom view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.24A;

FIGS. 25A and 25B are a plan view and a perspective view, respectively,of two coupled construction elements with a rotation-limiting elementshown in FIG. 24A attached thereto for limiting the range of rotationthereof;

FIG. 26A is a perspective view of a rotation-limiting element, accordingto another embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 26B is a plan view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.26A;

FIG. 26C is a bottom view of the rotation-limiting element shown in FIG.26A; and

FIG. 27 is a plan view of two coupled construction elements with arotation-limiting element shown in FIG. 26A attached thereto forlimiting the range of rotation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a construction system using aplurality of interconnectable, interlockable, or otherwise linkableconstruction elements for assembling or otherwise building an apparatussuch as a toy, an educational tool, an adornment, or the like. Eachconstruction element may comprise a socket, a connection head, or both.

FIGS. 1A to 1C show an interconnectable construction element 100according to one embodiment of this disclosure. In this embodiment, theconstruction element 100 may be made of or comprise Acetal such asPolyoxymethylene Copolymer (POM-C). Of course, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that, in other embodiments, the construction element 100may be made of or comprise any suitable material such asinjection-molded thermoplastic, metal, carved wood, composite materials,and/or the like.

The construction element 100 comprises an elongated substantiallycylindrical body section 102, with a connection head 104 on a first end106 thereof and a socket or jaw 108 on a second end 110 of the bodysection 102 opposite to the first end 106.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the socket 108 in this embodiment comprises twoopposing petals 122 and an opening 124 laterally extending from a firstside 126 of the petals 122 to an opposing second side 128 through adistal end 130 thereof.

The petals 122 form a recess 132 having an inner surface 134 with ashape substantively complementary to that of at least a portion of theconnection head 104 and a diameter equal to or slightly smaller thanthat of the connection head 104, for removably and rotatably receivingtherein the connection head 104 of another construction element. Theopening 124 has a dimension along any direction smaller than that of theconnection head 104 of another construction element received in therecess 132 along a corresponding direction for preventing the receivedconnection head 104 from accidentally falling out of the recess 132.

In this embodiment, the socket 108 comprises a crest 136 extending alongthe edge of the petals 122. The crest 136 defines a radially outwardlyfacing chamfer 138 at the edge of the recess 132 for facilitating thesnapping-in of the spherical connection head 104 of another constructionelement, and also forms the perimeters of the petals 122 and opening 124with a shape such that the perimeter of the opening 124 is the reverseimage of that of the petals 122 (in other words, the opening 124 has aprofile complementary to that of the petals 122) for allowing asocket-to-socket connection. Moreover, the petals 122 comprise a maximumwidth greater than that of the entrance of the opening 124 to preventthe interconnected sockets from accidentally disengaging.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the interconnectable construction element 100 inanother embodiment may further comprise an individual magnetic ball 142made of a suitable material such as neodymium-iron-boron (NIB) with asize equal to or slightly smaller than the spherical connection head 104such that the magnetic ball 142 may be removably or releasably snappedinto the recess 132 of the socket 108. In some embodiments, the magneticball 142 may be freely rotatable in the recess 132 of the socket 108after snapping thereinto. Similar to the description above, the opening124 has a dimension along any direction smaller than that of themagnetic ball 142 received in the recess 132 along a correspondingdirection for preventing the received magnetic ball 142 fromaccidentally falling out of the recess 132.

In various embodiments, various interconnectable construction elements100 may be formed by combining the connection head 104, the socket 108,the body section 102, and the magnetic ball 142. For example, FIGS. 3Ato 3E show an interconnectable construction element 100 in oneembodiment that only comprises the socket 108.

FIG. 4 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. The interconnectable construction element 100 in thisembodiment is similar to that shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E except that theinterconnectable construction element 100 in this embodiment furthercomprises a magnetic ball 142 rotatably receivable into the recess 132.

FIG. 5 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in yet anotherembodiment that comprises two sockets 108 coupled together directly orvia a body section 102 of a short length (compared to, e.g., that of thebody section 102 shown in FIG. 1A). For ease of description, alongitudinal axis 146 is defined for each socket 108 as the axis aboutwhich the two petals 122 are symmetrical and oriented in a directiontowards the distal end 130 thereof. In this embodiment, the two sockets108 are arranged in a “back to back” manner, i.e., the longitudinal axes146 thereof are opposite to each other.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 5 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into one or both of therecesses 132 of the sockets 108.

FIG. 6 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. The interconnectable construction element 100 in thisembodiment comprises two sockets 108 arranged in a perpendicular manner(i.e., the longitudinal axes 146 thereof are perpendicular to eachother) and coupled together with a body section 102 of a minimum length.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 6 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into one or both of therecesses 132 of the sockets 108.

FIG. 7 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. The interconnectable construction element 100 in thisembodiment comprises two sockets 108 arranged in an angled manner (i.e.,the longitudinal axes 146 thereof are at an angle (e.g., 45°) to eachother) and coupled together with a body section 102 of a minimum length.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 7 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into one or both of therecesses 132 of the sockets 108.

FIG. 8 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 having threeconnection heads 104 and one socket, according to another embodiment ofthis disclosure. As shown, the interconnectable construction element 100is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C except that theinterconnectable construction element 100 in this embodiment furthercomprises two connection heads 104 extending from the two petals 122.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 8 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise amagnetic ball 142 rotatably receivable into the recess 132 of the socket108.

FIG. 9 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. As shown, the interconnectable construction element 100 issimilar to that shown in FIG. 5 except that the interconnectableconstruction element 100 in this embodiment further comprises twoconnection heads 104 extending from the two petals 122 of one of thesockets 108.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 9 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into one or both of therecesses 132 of the sockets 108.

FIG. 10 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. As shown, the interconnectable construction element 100comprises four (4) sockets 108 circumferentially uniformly distributedon and coupled to a circular body section 102. The circular body section102 comprises a central hole 152 with a size suitable for rotatablyreceiving therein a connection head 104 of another construction element.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 10 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ormore magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into the recesses 132 ofthe sockets 108 and/or the central hole 152 of the circular body section102.

FIG. 11 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. As shown, the interconnectable construction element 100comprises two (2) connection heads 104 connected by a body section 102.

FIG. 12 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in yetanother embodiment. As shown, the interconnectable construction element100 comprises more than two (e.g., eight) connection heads 104circumferentially uniformly distributed on a circular body 154 andcoupled thereto via respective body sections 102. The circular body 154comprises a central hole 152 with a size suitable for rotatablyreceiving therein a connection head 104 of another construction element.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 12 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise amagnetic ball 142 rotatably receivable into the central hole 152 of thecircular body section 102.

FIG. 13 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in stillanother embodiment. Similar to that shown in FIG. 5 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 in this embodiment comprisestwo sockets 108 coupled by a body section 102 of a suitable length. Thebody section 102 comprises a spherical expansion 162 at a locationthereof intermediate the two sockets 108 and having a maximum diametergreater than that of the body section 102. The spherical expansion 162has a size suitable for being received in a recess 132 of anotherconstruction element. As will be described in more detail later, thespherical expansion 162 may be used for engaging the recess 132 ofanother construction element.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 13 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into the recesses 132 of thesockets 108.

FIG. 14 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. The interconnectable construction element 100 in thisembodiment comprises a socket 108 and a connection head 104 coupled by abody section 102 of a suitable length. Similar to that shown in FIG. 13, the body section 102 comprises a spherical expansion 162 at a locationthereof intermediate the socket 108 and the connection head 104.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 14 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise amagnetic ball 142 rotatably receivable into the recess 132 of the socket108.

FIG. 15 shows an interconnectable construction element 100 in anotherembodiment. The interconnectable construction element 100 is similar tothat shown in FIG. 13 except that the body section 102 of theinterconnectable construction element 100 in this embodiment comprisestwo spherical expansions 162 spaced from each other at locations thereofintermediate the socket 108 and the connection head 104.

In some embodiments similar to that shown in FIG. 14 , theinterconnectable construction element 100 may further comprise one ortwo magnetic balls 142 rotatably receivable into one or both of therecesses 132 of the sockets 108.

In various embodiments, the above-described interconnectableconstruction elements 100 may be combined in any suitable manner. Forexample, FIGS. 16A to 16C show the connection or engagement of twoconstruction elements 100A and 100B in one embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16A, the construction element 100A is similar to thatshown in FIG. 13 and comprises a pair of sockets 108A and 108B. Theconstruction element 100B is similar to that shown in FIG. 14 andcomprises a socket 108 and a connection head 104. One may push theconnection head 104 of the construction element 100B into the recess 132of the socket 108A of the construction element 100A, as indicated by thearrow 172.

As shown in FIG. 16B, with a sufficient force, the petals 122 of thesocket 108A are slightly deflected thereby allowing the connection head104 of the construction element 100B to snap into the recess 132 of thesocket 108A of the construction element 100A, thereby forming a jointwith a head-to-socket connection.

As shown in FIG. 16C, the engaged recess 132 and connection head 104 maybe used as a pivot for construction elements 100A and 100B to rotatewith respect to each other including a large rotation span (e.g., about220° in some embodiments or 240° in some other embodiments) along theopening 124 of the socket 108A as indicated by the arrow 166 and arelatively small rotation span towards the petals 122 of the socket 108Aas indicated by the arrow 168.

FIGS. 17A and 17B show the connection or engagement of two constructionelements 100A and 100B in another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 17A, the construction elements 100A and 100B aresimilar to that shown in FIG. 13 and each comprise a pair of sockets108A and 108B. One may rotate the construction element 100A about itslongitudinal axis (not shown) to align the petals 122 of the socket 108Athereof with the opposite sides of the petals 122 of socket 108A of theconstruction element 100B, and then push the socket 108A of theconstruction element 100A towards the socket 108A of the constructionelement 100B, as indicated by the arrow 172.

As shown in FIG. 17B, with a sufficient force, the petals 122 of thesockets 108A and 108B are slightly deflected and allow the sockets 108Aand 108B of the construction elements 100A and 100B to snap to andengage with each other, thereby forming a socket-to-socket connection.Unlike the head-to-socket connection, the socket-to-socket connectiondoes not allow the construction elements 100A and 100B to rotate withrespect to each other.

As shown in FIG. 17C, with sufficient force, the petals 122 of thesockets 108A and 108B may be forced past the socket-to-socket connectionshown in FIG. 17B and into an unstable, buckled state. From theunstable, buckled state, the construction elements 100A and 100B may bepulled backward (that is, along opposite directions) and snapped into asocket-to-socket connection.

FIGS. 18A and 18B show the connection or engagement of two constructionelements 100A and 100B in yet another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18A, the construction elements 100A and 100B aresimilar to those shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B. However, in thisembodiment, the construction element 100B comprises a magnetic ball 142received in the recess 132 of the socket 108A thereof.

With an engagement process similar to that shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B,the sockets 108A and 108B of the construction elements 100A and 100B aresnapped to and engage with each other with the magnetic ball 142(indicated using broken line) received therein (see FIG. 18B), therebyforming a socket-to-socket connection. In this embodiment, the magneticball 142 supports the engagement of the construction elements 100A and100B.

FIGS. 19A to 19C show the connection or engagement of two constructionelements 100A and 100B in still another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 19A, the construction elements 100A and 100B aresimilar to those shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B. However, in thisembodiment, the construction elements 100A and 100B each comprise amagnetic ball 142 received in the recess 132 of the socket 108A thereof.

One may rotate the construction element 100A about its longitudinal axis(not shown) to align the petals 122 of the socket 108A thereof with theopposite sides of petals 122 of the socket 108A of the constructionelement 100B, and then move the construction elements 100A and 100Btowards each other as indicated by the arrow 172. As the magnetic balls142 are rotatable in the respective recesses 132 of the sockets 108, themagnetic fields of the balls 142 force the balls 142 to automaticallyrotate and align to a mutually attracting orientation (i.e., the northpole of one ball 142 automatically aligned with the south pole of theother ball 142).

As shown in FIGS. 19B and 19C, the two construction elements 100A and100B are then coupled to each other by the magnetic force between theballs 412 thereof, thereby forming a joint with a magnetic connection.

Unlike the socket-to-socket connections shown in FIGS. 17A to 18B, themagnetic connection allows the two construction elements 100A and 100Bto rotate with respect to each other. The strong magnetic force providedby the NIB magnetic balls 142 ensures reliable coupling of theconstruction elements 100A and 100B.

In various embodiments, the magnetic ball 142 may also facilitate anassembled apparatus to couple to an anchor structure.

For example, FIG. 20 shows an assembled or otherwise constructedapparatus 180 formed by interconnected construction elements 100A to100C. The construction element 100A comprises a magnetic ball 142received in the recess 132 of the socket 108 thereof for attaching theassembled apparatus 180 to a ferromagnetic anchor such as aferromagnetic rod 182. As the magnetic ball 142 is rotatable in therespective recesses 132 of the sockets 108, it may also be used toattach the assembled apparatus 180 to a magnetic anchor.

FIG. 21 shows a portion of an assembled apparatus 200 in the form of arobot. The robot 200 comprises two legs 202 assembled or otherwiseconstructed using a plurality of interconnected construction elements.The construction elements 100A at the ends of the legs 202 each comprisea magnetic ball 142 received in the recess 132 of the socket 108 thereoffor attaching the legs 202 to ferromagnetic anchors such asferromagnetic rods 204 for maintaining the assembled apparatus 200 in aupright orientation. Similar to the description above, the magnetic ball142 is rotatable in the respective recesses 132 of the sockets 108, andmay also be used to attach the assembled apparatus 200 to a magneticanchor.

As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, one may snap the spherical expansion 162of a construction element 100A into the recess 132 of a socket 108 ofanother construction element 100B (as indicated by the arrow 172) tocouple the construction element 100A to the construction element 100B.

FIG. 23 shows a bracelet assembly in faux jade finish which is assembledor built from a plurality of plastic construction elements 100.

In one example, some measurements of the construction elements 100described above are as follows, which are obtained through extensiveexperiments for achieving an improved performance of balancing ofassembled apparatuses.

-   -   the recess 132 of the socket 108 has a diameter of about 6        millimeters (mm);    -   the connection head 104 has a diameter of about 6.1 mm;    -   the portion of the body section 102 connecting to the connection        head 104 has a diameter of 3.4 mm, and the rest of the body        section 102 has a diameter of about 4.9 mm or smaller;    -   the spherical expansion 162 has a diameter of about 6.0 mm;    -   the magnetic ball 142 has a diameter of about 5.9 mm;    -   the head-to-socket connection allows a pitch (rotation along the        opening 124) of at most 220° (e.g., at most 110° on each side);        and    -   the head-to-socket connection allows a yaw (rotation towards the        petals 122) of no more than 20°.

In some embodiments, the dimensions of the construction elements 100 maybe:

-   -   the recess 132 of the socket 108 has a diameter of 5 mm to 6 mm;    -   the connection head 104 has a diameter of 6 mm to 6.4 mm;    -   the portion of the body section 102 connecting to the connection        head 104 has a diameter of 3.2 mm to 3.6 mm, and the rest of the        body section 102 has a diameter of 4.7 mm to 6 mm;    -   the spherical expansion 162 has a diameter of 6 mm to 6.4 mm;    -   the magnetic ball 142 has a diameter of about 5 mm to 6 mm;    -   the head-to-socket connection allows a pitch (rotation along the        opening 124) of at most 240° (e.g., at most 120° on each side);        and    -   the head-to-socket connection allows a yaw (rotation towards the        petals 122) of 15° to 20°.

Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theconstruction elements 100 described above may have any other suitabledimensions in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, it may be beneficial to limit the rotation range ofan assembled joint with the head-to-socket connection. For example, sucha limitation of rotation range may be particularly desirable forassembling or building a human-like toy with arms, legs, and the likethat have limited rotation range at certain directions. Limitingrotation range may be also advantageous in some embodiments such as inthe assembling or construction of furniture or outdoor playgroundequipment.

FIGS. 24A to 24F show a rotation-limiting element 240 (also called a“joint guard”) attachable to the head-to-socket connection for limitingthe rotation range thereof. Similar to the construction element 100, therotation-limiting element 240 may be made of any suitable material suchas injection-molded thermoplastic, metal, carved wood, compositematerials, and/or the like.

As shown in FIG. 24A, the rotation-limiting element 240 comprises anengagement structure 242 in the form of a socket or jaw and a tailsection 244 extending therefrom. Similar to the socket 108 describedabove, the engagement structure 242 comprises two opposing petals 246 onthe two lateral sides thereof defining a main recess 248 therebetween.In this embodiment, the recess 248 is substantially spherical and has adimension equal to or slightly smaller than that of the sphericalexpansion 162 of a construction element 100. A crest 250 extends aroundthe perimeter of the petals 246 forming the perimeter of the petals 246and the perimeter of the opening 252 between the petals 246.

The tail section 244 longitudinally extends from the engagementstructure 242 and comprises a spherical secondary recess 254 about adistal end thereof. The length L of the tail section 244, measuredlongitudinally from the center of the main recess 248 to the center ofthe secondary recess 254 is about the same as the distance L between thecenter of spherical expansion 162 and the center of the recess 132 of aconstruction element 100 (see FIG. 13 ).

As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the rotation-limiting element 240 may beattached to a pair of construction elements 100A and 100B coupled usingthe head-to-socket connection for limiting the joint's range ofrotation. As shown, the main recess 248 of the rotation-limiting element240 engages the spherical expansion 162 of the construction element100A. The tail section 244 of the rotation-limiting element 240 extendsto the first lateral side 126 of the opening 124 of the constructionelement 100B with the secondary recess 254 of the rotation-limitingelement 240 engaging the spherical connection head 104 of theconstruction element 100B. As a result, the construction element 100Bmay only rotate along the opening 124 between the distal end 130 and thesecond lateral side 128 thereof as indicated by the arrow 256, andcannot rotate to the first lateral side 126 of the opening 124.

In some alternative embodiments, the tail section 244 may have othersuitable lengths L provided that, when the rotation-limiting element 240is attached to a construction element 100 having a socket 108 with themain recess 248 engaging the spherical expansion 162, the distal end ofthe tail section 244 extends to a position about the opening 124 such asthe first lateral side 126 of the opening 124 of the constructionelement 100 for limiting the range of rotation thereof.

FIGS. 26A to 26C show a rotation-limiting element 240 in one embodiment.The rotation-limiting element 240 is similar to that shown in FIGS. 24Ato 24F except that the rotation-limiting element 240 in this embodimentcomprises two tail sections 244 on longitudinally opposite sides of theengagement structure 242.

As shown in FIG. 27 , the rotation-limiting element 240 in thisembodiment may be attached to a construction element 100B having twosockets 108A and 108B on opposite ends thereof and coupled to twoconstruction elements 100A and 100C using head-to-socket connections.The tail sections 244 of the rotation-limiting element 240 extend to thefirst lateral side 126 of the opening 124 of each socket 108A, 108B ofthe construction element 100B for limiting the range of rotationthereof.

Although in above embodiments, the petals have continuous surfaces, insome alternative embodiments, the petals may be perforated and comprisea plurality of openings therethrough. In some other embodiments, thepetals may have a mesh structure formed by a plurality of intersectingcolumns and rows.

Although in above embodiments, the recess 132 of the socket 108 isspherical and correspondingly the connection head 104 is also spherical,in various embodiments, at least one of the recess 132 and theconnection head 104 may have other suitable shapes such as an egg shape.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the connection head 104 may have asuitable surface such as a smooth surface or a textured surface.

In some embodiments, one or more construction elements 100 may be madeof a transparent or semi-transparent material with a light source suchas a light-emitting diode (LED) embedded therein for emitting light withvarious colors.

A construction system using the above-described construction elements100 and/or rotation-limiting elements 240 may be used for assembling orbuilding various types of apparatus such as toys (e.g., action figures,plush toys, dolls, and the like), scientific modeling (e.g., molecularengineering), ergonomic, anatomical, and artistic modeling (e.g.,poseable figures and armatures), and the like, for play, use, display(e.g., in store, museum, or office as wall mountings and/or shelving),and may be used for creating mannequins in the clothing industry. Theconstruction system may also be used in outdoor playground equipment,sporting goods, jewelry or other clothing accessories, and the like.Moreover, the construction system may be used in prosthetics, robotics,and computer applications. For example, software may be developedwhereby the construction system may be used in computer-aided modeling.It is contemplated that the system may be used to assemble or build amodel connectable to a computer for creating a virtual three-dimensional(3D) version of the model. As another example, models made from theconstruction system may be connected to a computer and then manipulatedto create real-time animation of the virtual version of a correspondingcomputer generated form.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments are alsoreadily available. By way of non-limiting example, the body section 102may be perforated; the body section 102 may have an I-beamconfiguration; or the body section 102 may comprise parallel cylindersof different diameters that relate to the scales of the system so thatthree different-scale jaws 108 can simultaneously engage the bodysection 102.

In above embodiments, the socket 108 of the construction element 100comprises a recess 132 in communication with an opening 124 that extendsfrom the first lateral side 126 through the distal end 130 to the secondlateral side 128. In some alternative embodiments, the opening 124 mayonly extend from the first lateral side 126 to the distal end 130 (i.e.,the petals 122 are connected on the second lateral side 128). In theseembodiments, the rotation-limiting element 240 may be coupled to thefirst lateral side 126 of the construction element 100 for limiting itsrange of rotation.

In above embodiments, the expansion 162 on the body section 102 of aconstruction element 100 is spherical. In some alternative embodiments,the expansion 162 may have other suitable shapes such as a cylindricalshape. Accordingly, the main recess 248 of a rotation-limiting element240 may having a corresponding cylindrical shape.

In above embodiments, the body section 102 of a construction element 100is cylindrical. In some alternative embodiments, the body section 102may have other suitable shapes (e.g., bones, branches, bamboo sections,bricks, the electron clouds of atomic bonds, and/or the like) and may bedecorated to resemble plants, animals, man-made objects, and/or thelike. The body section 102 may be made of any suitable material such asrubber, metal, foam, plush, and/or the like. In some embodiments, theconstruction elements disclosed herein may be used for architectural orengineering purposes, or to assemble or construct temporary,semi-permanent, or permanent structures.

In above embodiments, the rotation-limiting element 240 comprises anengagement structure 242 comprising a recess for engaging the sphericalexpansion 162 on the body section 102 of the interconnectableconstruction element 100. In some embodiments, the engagement structure242 may be any suitable structure for engaging a correspondingengagement section of the interconnectable construction element 100. Forexample, the body section 102 of the interconnectable constructionelement 100 may comprise an engagement section in the form of a recess,and the engagement structure 242 of the rotation-limiting element 240may comprise an extrusion for engaging the recess-shaped engagementsection of the interconnectable construction element 100 to engage therotation-limiting element 240 with the interconnectable constructionelement 100.

Although embodiments have been described above with reference to theaccompanying drawings, those of skill in the art will appreciate thatvariations and modifications may be made without departing from thescope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

1. An interconnectable construction element comprising: a body section;a first socket coupled to a first end of the body section, the firstsocket comprising a recess in communication with an opening, the openingextending from a first lateral side of the first socket at least to adistal end thereof; and a freely rotatable magnetic ball releasablyreceivable into the recess of the first socket without falling outtherefrom for forming a magnetic connection with anotherinterconnectable construction element having another magnetic ball, amagnetic anchor, and/or a ferromagnetic anchor.
 2. The interconnectableconstruction element of claim 1, wherein the magnetic ball isindividually rotatably receivable in the first socket.
 3. Theinterconnectable construction element of claim 1, wherein the magneticball comprises a material of neodymium-iron-boron.
 4. Theinterconnectable construction element of claim 1, further comprising asecond socket coupled to a second end of the body section.
 5. Theinterconnectable construction element of claim 4, wherein the bodysection comprises an expansion spaced from the first socket, theexpansion having a maximum diameter greater than that of the bodysection.
 6. The interconnectable construction element of claim 5,wherein the expansion has a spherical shape.
 7. The interconnectableconstruction element of claim 5, wherein the expansion is located at aposition intermediate the first and second sockets.
 8. Theinterconnectable construction element of claim 5, wherein the expansionis receivable into the recess of another interconnectable constructionelement.
 9. The interconnectable construction element of claim 1,wherein the magnetic connection is formed by automatic rotation andalignment of the one or more magnetic balls.
 10. The interconnectableconstruction element of claim 1, further comprising an injection-moldedthermoplastic material, metal, carved wood, composite materials, or acombination thereof.
 11. A rotation-limiting element for removablycoupling to a first interconnectable construction element for limitingthe range of rotation thereof when the first interconnectableconstruction element is connected to a second interconnectableconstruction element, the first interconnectable construction elementcomprising a body section and a socket coupled to the body section, thesocket comprising a recess in communication with an opening forrotatably receiving a connection portion of the second interconnectableconstruction element, the opening extending from a first lateral side ofthe recess at least to a distal end thereof, the rotation-limitingelement comprising: an engagement structure for engaging an engagementsection of the first interconnectable construction element for removablycoupling the rotation-limiting element to the first interconnectableconstruction element; and a first tail section extending from theengagement structure, said first tail section having a length such that,when the rotation-limiting element is coupled to the firstinterconnectable construction element, the first tail section extends toa position about the opening of the first interconnectable constructionelement.
 12. The rotation-limiting element of claim 11, wherein theengagement structure comprises a recess for engaging an expansionstructure on the body section of the first interconnectable constructionelement, the expansion structure having a maximum diameter greater thanthat of the body section and acting as the engagement structure of thefirst interconnectable construction element.
 13. The rotation-limitingelement of claim 11 comprising an injection-molded thermoplasticmaterial, metal, carved wood, composite materials, or a combinationthereof.
 14. The rotation-limiting element of claim 11, wherein thefirst tail section comprises a spherical secondary recess about a distalend thereof and one side facing the opening of the firstinterconnectable construction element when the rotation-limiting elementis coupled to the first interconnectable construction element.
 15. Therotation-limiting element of claim 11, wherein the rotation-limitingelement is for coupling to a head-to-socket connection.
 16. Therotation-limiting element of claim 15, wherein the recess of theengagement structure is a spherical recess.
 17. The rotation-limitingelement of claim 11 further comprising a second tail section extendingfrom the engagement structure on a side thereof longitudinally oppositeto the first tail section.
 18. A construction system comprising: aplurality of interconnectable construction elements of claim
 1. 19. Theconstruction system of claim 18, further comprising: one or moreinterconnectable rotation-limiting elements, wherein eachrotation-limiting element is adapted for removably coupling to a firstinterconnectable construction element for limiting the range of rotationthereof when the first interconnectable construction element isconnected to a second interconnectable construction element, the firstinterconnectable construction element comprising a body section and asocket coupled to the body section, the socket comprising a recess incommunication with an opening for rotatably receiving a connectionportion of the second interconnectable construction element, the openingextending from a first lateral side of the recess at least to a distalend thereof, the rotation-limiting element comprising: an engagementstructure for engaging an engagement section of the firstinterconnectable construction element for removably coupling therotation-limiting element to the first interconnectable constructionelement; and a first tail section extending from the engagementstructure, said first tail section having a length such that, when therotation-limiting element is coupled to the first interconnectableconstruction element, the first tail section extends to a position aboutthe opening of the first interconnectable construction element.